Spruce Street School files $7M permit for First Hill campus renovation

First Hill, Seattle, August 13, 2025

News Summary

A private K–5 school has applied for a $7 million construction permit to renovate the Madison at Summit property it purchased in 2019. Plans call for a 20,000-square-foot classroom building, a roughly 24,000-square-foot rooftop play area, and renovations across the garage, first floor and roof levels. The building currently houses a credit union, a physical therapy clinic and classrooms used by a private middle/high school, which will continue to occupy portions of the site. The school reports about 110 K–5 students and says it will remain at its current location while completing the build-out.

Private K–5 school buys First Hill building, files $7M renovation permit and plans fall 2028 move

A private kindergarten through fifth grade school that charges roughly $35,000 a year in tuition has purchased a First Hill building and filed for a construction permit to remake the space into an urban campus. The school paid about $15.15 million for the building in 2019 and has applied this summer for a $7 million renovation that will be built out over three levels and include a large rooftop play area.

What the permit covers and timeline

Permit documents show work planned on all three levels of the property. A new 20,000-square-foot classroom building is part of the plan, and the roof — listed at about 24,000 square feet in the filing — is set to be developed for outdoor play, limited instructional uses and mechanical equipment. The garage level will be redeveloped for stair and elevator access, storage and bike parking. The first floor will be substantially renovated to add classrooms, administrative offices and support spaces. The permit also mentions what it calls a massive underground parking lot.

School leaders are keeping their current address open for now and do not plan to relocate until 2028. The new First Hill campus is expected to open for students in the fall of 2028. School officials declined to comment on the project in public filings and permit notices.

Enrollment, tuition and long-term goals

The school reports enrollment of about 110 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Tuition is represented in public materials by two nearby figures: one rounded at $35,000 a year and a specific listing of $35,818.

The school describes a long-range vision that centers on becoming a high-quality, more financially accessible independent K–5 school in the region by 2035, while keeping a program defined by small classes, multi-age groupings and a curriculum that combines many sources beyond standard textbooks. Long-term strategy materials emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion goals for both staff and families.

Shared building use and neighbors

The property currently houses a credit union and a physical therapy clinic, and it also contains classrooms and offices used by a nearby private middle and high school. The two schools plan to work together while Spruce Street develops the space. The upper-grade school will continue to use parts of the building as Spruce Street builds out its campus.

Why First Hill and neighborhood context

The site appeals to the school for logistical reasons: it is described as the right size for their needs, offers ample parking, and has strong transit connections, including proximity to a major rapid bus line. School materials say keeping an urban community setting is an important part of what the school offers families.

The corridor around Madison and Broadway has seen several private and alternative education projects move in recent years, along with other local developments. Transit upgrades and new service have changed how people move along the street, and several public and private projects — including new community crisis responder facilities and plans for a county crisis center a block or two away — have shaped planning conversations in the neighborhood. A nearby two-level grocery that had occupied a prominent corner closed this summer, adding to the local change.

School background and program

The school began in 1982 as an outgrowth of a neighborhood summer program and moved locations a few times before settling at its current address in 2005. It offers small, multi-age classrooms that typically span three age groups and focuses on personalized instruction that supports both social-emotional development and academics. The school lists its website as sprucestreetschool.org for more information.

Public reaction and broader context

Reaction in the neighborhood has been mixed. Some community members expressed opposition to nearby crisis care plans, while others questioned how a school that promotes increased affordability could charge tuition in the mid-thirty-thousand-dollar range. Local growth of private education programs continues even as the public school district has faced uneven enrollment and funding, and recently stepped back from plans that would have closed several neighborhood campuses.

The renovation permit and planned move add to a string of changes in the area that include new school buildings and conversions of older properties to new uses. Local redevelopment has drawn both praise for increased services and concern from residents weighing community impacts.

What happens next

The permit marks a formal step toward construction, but actual work will continue through approvals and detailed planning. The school aims to remain at its current address until the new campus is ready for the 2028 school year. The building will continue to host existing tenants and the partner school while renovations proceed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Key features at a glance

Feature	Details
Purchase price	$15.15 million (2019)
Renovation permit	$7 million filed this summer
Classroom space	About 20,000 square feet planned
Rooftop play area	Roof listed at ~24,000 square feet for outdoor play and limited instruction
Move-in date	Fall 2028
Current location	School remains at 914 Virginia Street until 2028
Enrollment	About 110 students (K–5)
Tuition	Listed as approximately $35,000 a year and $35,818 in some materials
Existing tenants	Local credit union, physical therapy clinic, and a private middle/high school using classrooms
Partner school	Nearby private middle and high school will continue to use parts of the building
Web	sprucestreetschool.org

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• Capitol Hill Seattle: Spruce Street School — First Hill project
• Wikipedia: Spruce Street School (search)
• Capitol Hill Seattle: Spruce Street School — follow-up (part 2)
• Google Search: Spruce Street School Madison Summit First Hill
• Capitol Hill Seattle: Spruce Street School — project details (part 5)
• Google Scholar: Spruce Street School Madison Summit
• Daily Journal of Commerce: Real estate/permit notice
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Madison at Summit (search)
• KING 5: Deadly shooting investigated — Central District
• Google News: Central District shooting Seattle